Method for the manufacture of mops



Dec. 16, 1952 P. M. ROGERS METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 9, 1947 INVENTOR. PAUL M. ROGERS FIG Dec. 16,1952 F. M. ROGERS METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed April 9, 1947 INVENTOR. PAUL M. ROGERS FIG. 2

Dec. 16, P. M. ROGERS 2,621,977

METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE .OF MOPS Filed April 9, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 356 68 O O 0 0 O 0 0 I40 79 as I28 24 I2 46\ El 48 Q I '22 l 22 Q 38- II8 I/ A \I/ E; A5 A l /l\\ AKE;

' I I I I I 42 4I I I I H I I I I I I I l I I I 1| 40 I l 1 J INVENTOR.PAUL M. ROGERS Dec. 16, 1952 P. M. ROGERS 2,621,977

METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS Filed April 9, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 4FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

PAUL M. ROGERS 9 2 g MM FIG. 5

Dec. 16, 1952 O S 2,621,977

METHQD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS Filed April 9, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5FIG. 6 FIG. 7

FIG. IO

INVENTOR. PAUL M. ROGERS Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE METHOD F OR THE MANUFACTURE OF MDPS Application April 9, 1947,Serial No. 740,434

(01. 3ilG-2l) 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of mops and moreparticularly to a method for the production of Navy type mops, thosewhich consist of a bundle of yarns bound permanently to a stick by awrapping which may be either a fibrous cord or a metallic wire. In myco-pending application, Serial Number 636,393, filed December 21, 1945,now Patent Number 2,577,037, December 4, 1951, I have disclosed anddescribed the machine for the manufacture of mops by the method claimedherein.

Heretofore, mops of this design have, for the most part, been madeentirely by hand, a workman aligning a large number of strands of cottonyarn at the end of a mop stick and then securing the yarns in positionby hand-wrapping a binder twine. The present invention makes available aprocess for the semi-automatic manufacture of such mops and a few of thenumerous advantages which result may be briefly described.

The most striking change is in the time required for the manufacture ofa mop. This has been cut to a fraction of the period formerly required,since the time necessary to make a mop by hand is reduced from a matterof minutes to one of seconds. It may not be out of place to add thatalthough the time of manufacture is so markedly reduced the quality ofthe product is definitely improved.

The chief advantage from a quality standpoint, uniformity, is one whichusually follows when a hand-made product is made by machine. In thepresent instance this means that every mop made will be of the sameweight, that the yarns will always be bound to the stick with thecorrect tension so that loosely tied mops are eliminated and that, ingeneral, the human factor is almost entirely eliminated, a highlydesirable point when the product is one which is Sold at so low a pricethat the cost of an individual rigorous inspection is prohibitive.

From the subsequent description it will be seen that the yarns arealways handled in groups of several ends and never individually. Thismeans that a low-cost, low grade yarn may be used since, if anoccasional strand is of low strength or, for that matter is completelysevered, the operation is not affected.

Still another advantage of the present method is in the fact that theyarns are always positioned uniformly about the mop stick and are neverbunched on one side as frequently occurs with handmade mops.

Other features and advantages of the presentfmethod will be apparentfrom the following description when used in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which similar reference numerals denote similarparts.

Figure l is an elevation of a mop-making machine incorporating thepresent invention, certain parts having been broken away to reveal theinterior construction.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the same machine at anintermediate stage in the manufacturing cycle.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the same machine at afinal stage in the manufacturing cycle.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the wrapping head of the machine.

Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of the wrapping head shownin Figure l.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the first step in the manufacture ofa mop according to the present method.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing an intermediate step inthe manufacture of a mop according to the present method.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the final step in themanufacture of a mop according to the present method.

Figure 9 is a detail view, in perspective of the yarn head and plungershown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.

Figure 10 is an elevation of the cam shown in Figure 5 which controlsthe lay of the binder cord.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure l, themechanism as a whole may be broken down for purposes of description intothree main component parts, a yarn supply mechanism I2, a wrappingmechanism I 4 and a stick gripping device [5, the entire machine beingmounted upon a suitable platform [8.

Considering first the supply mechanism l2, the yarns used inmanufacturing Navy type mops are, as previously stated, of the cheapergrade.

Inasmuch as the yarns used in mop-making are limp, and requiresupportduring all stages of manufacture, they present problems which donot exist in the manufacture of brooms or brushes where fibers, straws,or bristles which are at least semi-rigid are employed.

As used in the present machine the yarns are supplied in balls, eachball being made up of approximately 25 ends or individual strands.Inasmuch as the number of ends which is required for a complete mopvaries between two hundred and eight hundred, it will be obvious thatsome eight to thirty-two balls will be required.

For ease of description and for the sake of clarity in the drawing onlytwo balls of yarn are shown, the supply of cotton being kept within thecans 20. When drawn from the cans the strand of yarn 22 first passesover ring 25 which, although it may be changed in position toaccommodate various sizes and weights of mops, is immovable during theproduction cycle. The bolts used to attach ring 24 to the supportingcolumns 55 are not shown in this view but their method of application isobvious. The yarn then passes a second ring 26 which is adjustablysecured to plunger 28 and is therefore movable with it. The yarnsterminate in a head 33 which is shown in detail in Figure 9.

Referring to Figure 9 it will be seen that plunger 28 is formed of ahollow tube provided with a slot 35 at one extremity and fitted with acollar 32 at the opposite end.

Welded to the slotted end of the plunger 23 is a cylinder 34 with a slotwhich is in register with the slot in the plunger tube. It will be seenthat this arrangement forms a space which, except for the slottedportion, is annular in shape. The dimensions of this annular space aresuch that it will accommodate all the yarns, when tightly packed, whichare required to make a specific type of mop. The space provided is smallenough so that when all yarns are in position they will slide betweenthe plunger 28 and the cylinder 34, but

only upon the application of considerable force.

Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that the plunger assemblycomprising tube 28 and yarn head 30 is mounted upon the end of pistonrod 38 connected to piston 40 which slides within pneumatic cylinder 42.Air is supplied to cylinder 42 through pipe 44 and its flow from asource of supply which is not shown is controlled by valve 46 mountedupon the panel board 48. From this arrangement it will be apparent thatthe operator by manipulation of valve may raise or lower plunger 28together with its accompanying yarnhead 30 and ring 25.

Passing now to the stick gripping mechanism I6 shown in Figure 1 locatedat the upper part of the machine, the stick 52 as purchased is fittedwith a nail 54 which projects slightly from the stick. The clamp asshown is made up of a fixed jaw 56 held securely to the cross bar 58 bya suitable bolt and a second jaw 62 which moves in a direction normal tothe center line of the stick 52 and is held in tight contact with thestick by a compression spring 54. Afiixed to the movable jaw 62, is arod 66 which, by the application of force, though the pivoted link 58and the handle I0 will cause the clamp to grip or release mop handle 52.It may be noted that the supporting columns I2 are only showndiagrammatically to simplify the drawing.

The third major portion of the machine, the wrapping mechanism, includesa carrying ring I4 which is mounted so as to be freely rotatable withinguide pulleys I6 provided with anti-friction bearings (not shown) andsecured within frame I8. The outer surface of the carrying ring isprovided with a groove 80 adapted to receive a V-belt 82 which is inturn driven by a suitable electric motor 84 mounted upon frame I8 byconventional means and controlled through the wiring showndiagrammatically by switch 85.

Supported within the carrying ring I4 by flange 88, upon which it rests,is shuttle 90 which is wound with a supply of binder cord 92. (Many ofthe details of the wrapping mechanism are more clearly shown in Figure5.)

Mounted upon the top of the carrying ring is a serving arm 94 pivotallymounted upon sup-' port 96. The function of the serving arm is tocontrol the position and lay of the binder cord 92 and, to accomplishthis, the angle of inclination of the serving arm may be varied by therotation of cam 98 with which the arm is held in contact by tensionspring I93. A roller bearing I92 is provided between the cam and theserving arm to minimize friction.

The mechanism for the rotation of cam 98 comprises shaft Iil-l mountedupon suitable brackets E36 and which is, in turn driven by sector gear53 from worm gear H5 aifixed to capstan I I2. The motion of the capstanI I2 derives from the binder cord 92 which is snubbed several timesabout it. It will be apparent that since one end of the binder cord isattached to nail 55, which is fixed in position, and since carrying ringI4 rotates as a whole about nail 54, that a wrapping of binder cord willbe applied to stick 52 as the carrying ring 74 rotates. It follows thatthe cord required for the wrapping will be drawn from shuttle 9i)causing a relative rotation between it and carrying ring Id.

The path of cord as will therefore be from the shuttle, over guide pinII 4, about capstan H2, which is driven by the cord, around idler pulleyI I5 and thence to the serving arm 94 whose vertical position iscontrolled by the rotation of the capstan I I2. The function of thecapstan and the factors which control its design will be clarified bythe subsequent description of the method of operation of the machine.

The only portion of the apparatus which is not included in the yarnsupply mechanism, wrapping mechanism or stick gripping device is themotor driven cut-off saw I I8 mounted on column 56 a short distancebelow frame 8. This saw, which consists simply of a circular blade I20protected by a guard I22 and driven by a conventional electric motor I24which is controlled by switch I26, is mounted on a hinge I28 so that itmay be swung into position to cut the yarns after completion of the mop.

Method of operation The first step in the manufacture of a mop with themachine is to clamp a mop stick 52 between the jaws 55 and 62 of theclamp with a projecting nail located near the end of the mop handle andfacing the operator in the position shown in Figure 1. It will, ofcourse, be understood that means should be provided to insure that theposition of the mop stick in the clamp is always the same for if thelength of the handle projecting below the clamp should vary the mopsmade will not be uniform. The next step is to secure the end of thebinder cord after it passes through the serving arm to the projectingnail head. The operator then opens valve 46 admitting compressed air tocylinder 42 and forcing piston 40 to the top of the cylinder. When thishas been done the relative position of the parts is that shown in Figure2. From this drawing it will be seen that the yarn carrying head 30 nowcovers the lower end of the mop stick and furthermore that the nail head54 and the end of the binder secured to it are not touched by the risingplunger and yarn head because of slot 36. It should not be necessary tomention that the internal diameter of plunger 28 is sufficiently largeto pass over the mop stick 52 without binding.

With the yarn carrying head 35 in the elevated position shown in Figure2 the operator with one hand grips the yarns projecting from the headand holds them firmly about the mop stick 52. He then closes valve 46releasing the air pressure in cylinder 52 and permitting the plungertogether with ring 26 and yarn head 30 to drop to its lower position. Aspreviously suggested, the yarns are closely packed within the annularspace of the yarn head so that they are carried upward when the plungeris elevated but, at the same time, fit loosely enough so that the yarnhead and plunger will slide back along the strands when the air pressureis released even though the yarns are held at their upper extremity bythe operator.

This stage of the process is illustrated in Figure 3. It will be seenthat, in dropping past fixed ring 24, the movable ring 26 has drawn fromcans a length of yarn determined by the distance between the fixed andmovable rings. In other words it is this distance which determines thelength of the strands in the mop; a longer mop resulting if the fixedring is raised and vice versa.

The yarns may now be bound to the handle.

To understand the subsequent operation of the machine, reference shouldbe had to Figure 10 in the drawings which illustrates on an enlargedscale cam 98 which controls the position of serving arm 94. While onespecific design of cam is shown it will be obvious of course that manyother shapes and therefore many other arrangements of binding may beused.

The starting point on the cam A is in contact with roller I62 on servingarm 94 when the binding operation is commenced. At this point theoperator begins rotation of carrying ring M by As previously describedbinder cord 92, when drawn from shuttle 90, actuates capstan H2 which inturn causes cam 98 to rotate. (The gear train between capstan H2 and cam98 is so selected that the cam makes one complete rotation during theinterval required to complete the binding cycle.)

It will be seen that the radius of the cam, considering spindle hole Ias the center, increases very slightly between points A and B. Thismeans that the point of application of the serving yarn drops veryslowly while it is in contact with this portion of the cam, thusapplying a closely wound binding to initially anchor the mop yarns. Asthe application of the binder continues the radius of the cam betweenpoints B and C increases at a more rapid rate so that the turns of thebinder cord as they approach the end of the mop stick 52 are relativelywidely spaced. The relative position of the yarns 22, binder cord 92,nail 54 and stick 52 at the time when point C on the cam is in contactwith the serving arm is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 6.

It is now desirable to bring the binder cord quickly up the stick againand this is accomplish by rapidly decreasing the radius of the cambetween points C and D. As illustrated in Figure '7 the binder cord atpoint D is halfway between the nail 55 and the end of the mop stick.

When the cam has rotated as far as point D the operator stops therotation of the carrying ring 17 by means of switch 86 and releases theyarns which, up to this point, he has been holding about the mop stickas shown in Figure 3. When released the upper portion of the yarns fallover to cover the under-lying portion of the binder cord which has beenpreviously wound. The machine is once again started and the binder,which is now applied over the outer layer of yarns, serves to tie downthe second group of yarns firmly upon the underlying strands to form adouble thickness. From the contour of the cam it will be seen that theradius decreases during the balance of the cycle, slowly between D and Eand more rapidly from E to F, the end of the operation. When asufficient wrapping has been applied the binder cord is cut and knottedsecurely by hand. This results in a-closely wound outer wrapping ofbinder cord which securely fastens the yarns into a compact mop head asshown in Figure 8.

When point F on the cam is reached the operator stops motor 84 again bymeans of switch 86 and starts the cut-ofi saw by means of switch I26.

The saw and motor are then swung under the carrying ring on hinge l28cutting the entire mass of yarns from the mop. The binder cord is thenout between the mop and the serving arm and securely knotted. The looseend of the binder cord may be tucked under the turns which werepreviously applied, or, if the mop is intended for severe service, theend may be secured in place by a staple. Finally the mop stick isreleased from the clamp in which it has been held, the mop now beingentirely complete.

Before the operation is repeated the carrying ring is passed through onecomplete revolution which brings the serving arm into contact with pointA on the cam once again. The entire mechanism is once again in thestarting position shown in Figure 1 and the cycle of operations may berepeated.

While a specific embodiment of the present invention has been describedin detail it is to be understood that many modifications andsubstitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of manufacturing mops which comprises the steps ofarranging a multiplicity of limp yarns in a vertical yarn carrier,advancing said yarn carrier upward to a position in which it enclosesthe lower extremity of a vertically-held mop stick which is fixedly heldagainst any movement in an axial direction, retracting said yarn holderwhile maintaining the yarns in a position surrounding the end of saidstick, wrapping a binder cord about the yarns, maintaining the bindercord in uncut condition folding the yarns back upon themselves to coverthe previously applied binder cord, applying a second layer of bindercords and finally severing the yarns to form a mop head.

2. The method of manufacturing mops which includes the steps of groupinga multiplicity of yarns in a holder, advancing the holder vertically toa position about the end of a vertically held mop stick which is fixedlyheld against any movement in an axial direction, holding the yarnstemporarily in position on said stick while retracting the holder in adownward direction, wrapping a binder cord about the yarns, doubling theyarns back upon themselves while maintaining the continuity of thebinder cord, applying a second layer of binder cord and finally severingthe yarns and securing and severing the binder cord to form a mop head.

3. In the art of manufacturing mops, the steps of arrangin a group ofyarns below a vertically held m0p handle which is fixedly held againstany movement in an axial direction, advancing a'group-of yarnsvertically so as to surround the extremity of the mop handle, serving abinder cord about the yarns, folding the yarns back upon themselves toform a double-laye of yarns whi1e=maintaimng the binder cordinuncut-condition, applying a second serving of binder'cord over the yarns'and finally cutting the yarns and cutting and'securing thebindercordto-complete the'mop head.

4. lhe method of 'manufacturing mops which includes thesteps-Ofarranging agroup of .yarns in a-yarn holder, advancing the yarn holder,by vertical motion, to a position about the lower end of a verticallyheld mop 'stick'which is "fixedly held against-any movement-finanaxialdirection, holding the yarns in position aboutthemop stick whileretracting the yarn 'holderin a-vertical direction andwhile-simultaneously withdrawing sufficient yarn from a yarn supply toform a subsequent mop, applying a layer of binder cord about the yarns,folding the yarns back upon themselves to form a double layer ofyarns,apply-- ing a second layer of binder cord which is continuous-with thefirst layer, and finally completing the mop head by severing theyarnsand securing andsevering the binder cord.

PAUL M. ROGERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file-ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number .Name Date 878,295 Koella Feb. '4, 1908891,744 Stocker June 23, 1908 .1,'882,605 I-Iorsley Oct. 11, 1932

